If you'r son is 2, wait until he's 5 year old before scouting around. The fees, schedules etc will all be different by then. Who knows? Perhaps one of the currently smaller schools might become more popular or a newer fencing school might open?


Even at 5 years, the lightest foil weapon would be too heavy for your son to hold comfortably. It would be good to wait. My 4-year-old keeps reminding me that his turn at fencing school is in 2 years' time when he's in K2 like his sister.

How old is your child? My 6-year-old is enrolled there since January.


My 13-year-old has been with them since he was in P1. He’s now in the Fencing Academy at the Singapore Sports School. Z’s programme for Fencing is one of the more systematic ones in Singapore, because they have a grading programme to ensure that the kids know the skills before they progress to the next level. I don’t know about the other schools, but I suppose they would have some form of curriculum - just ask them about it if you’re scouting around for a school.

Because Z’s the largest school in Singapore, there are advantages in terms of their ability to host regular in-house tournaments, which encourages the young ones at Z to fence more competitively. These in-house tournaments usually happens during the school holidays.

Hi, I'm sorry to reply only now - I was overseas, and I had only intermittent internet access.


I'm from the Fencing Academy, so I'm really not in a good position to comment on the Golf Academy. Nonetheless, because Fencing and Shooting are new academies, the enrolment this year has been bumped up to more than 100 - the usual size for SSP yearly.

The number for Fencing Academy is only 12 Fencers a year - and will only get fewer in the coming years to average about 10.

Actually, 5 out of 21 isn't that alarming - if the Golf Academy is Sec 1-4 (Fencing Academy currently has only Sec 1 and a few transfers at Sec 2), if one each student left from each cohort for whatever reason, you'll already get 4 people leaving. This attrition might have nothing at all to do with the academy, but personal reasons. Nonetheless, it's speculation, so the best would be for you to call up the school to find out more...

...or better yet - come down to the SSP Open House on 31 March and find out more in a larger group setting. You can not only speak to parents of current students, you can also speak to the students and check out the school's facilities at that.

Could you be a bit more specific in your question? The school's enrolment is about 110 kids a year. Additionally, each academy has a different number of students enrolled.


In such a case, if you're talking about even 1 out of 21 students (and are you asking about the whole academy or a cohort year in that academy?), it is already 4.7% of the 21. In this case, you're talking about 5 students leaving the academy, citing an alarming \"more than 20%\" when actually in terms of enrolment, 5 out of 110 is 4.5% of that cohort (if you're looking at cohort), but I still don't understand why it ought to be something of a concern, especially if the students have valid reasons for leaving.

For some kids, perhaps it's a case of them not being able to adapt to the boarding life of the school. It is rather regimented and disciplined, but I've seen in my sec 1 son a more matured and thoughtful habits setting in. Others may feel that they prefer more freedom in terms of daily movements and going home. Certainly my son complains that there are days he wishes he could just take a step out of the school gate - but that's just not going to happen. We allow him to go out every weekend with us, knowing that he just need that galivanting to feel 'normal' again.

If it is a concern about that particular sport, why not speak to someone from the sports school? They would be the best to inform you about the various programmes and training that that academy undergo and see if that would be beneficial to your child.

For me, I believe that it's my best decision to send my child to SSP. The small class size, the discipline he undergoes, the counsellors and focus on values and character-building - I really can't ask for more. In a normal schools, where enrolment will definitely be at least 400 students per year (10 classes), my child will only be a digit and known as 1 amongst 40 in the class. The other students in the school would not know who he is, unless he's a prefect or someone outstanding. In SSP, he's one of about 400-500 students; he's known to the boys of his house since he lives with them; he's known to his Housemaster, Coaches, Teachers, Mentor, Counsellor and even the Principal knows his name. It is a close-knit school precisely because of its size, and the multiple academic pathways only means that the students have more areas to be at their best. Opportunities are also open for students who want to thrive in the academics; and one thing is for sure - I don't have to harp on my son's schoolwork/homework because the social atmosphere provides that natural peer pressure for him to give his best in school.

parentof3:

dovetail:

You can get shirts and stationery from boarding office Wed or Fri office hour as well as Sunday night after 8pm when the kid's check in. Cannot confirm the time but the day is correct.


You need at least 3 sets PE attire. BE CAREFUL of the red shorts when you wash at home, the color runs! The old stock ok but new ones questionable.

The uniform list only recommends 1 set so didn't buy more. Now she says not enough because of the sportssmart skills lessons
t

The Sports Smart Skills is a relatively new curriculum, so perhaps the Shooting Academy didn't factor that in.

dovetail:

ANobleNerd:

I was there too!


Let's cheer our kids on their sporting journey together! :rahrah: :rahrah:

:rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah:

I heard you guys got to have supper with your kid's, so lucky. We didn't use to have.

According to Mr. Raymond, we are batch no. 9... so I suppose they are more accommodating to the newbies a bit more than previously.

Then again, the kids are all so different - some are so happy to meet their parents, others felt it was lame that their familes came.

My son's roommate was unwell, which compounded his homesickness... poor boy. He requested to be transferred, but his mum has told him to try out the arrangement for at least a module, and he'll spend only 3 nights at SSP.

I was there too!


Let's cheer our kids on their sporting journey together! :rahrah: :rahrah:

Go here:

http://app.sis.moe.gov.sg/schinfo/SIS_AdvSearch.asp

Click on \"CCA Offered\", then \"Sports and Games\", then \"Fencing\".

Go here:

http://app.sis.moe.gov.sg/schinfo/SIS_AdvSearch.asp

Click on \"CCA Offered\", then \"Sports and Games\", then \"Fencing\".

A House Master told me that they will be assigned a dorm based on Academy where possible. This is to facilitate the kids' morning training, so that they won't disturb the kids who don't have morning trainings when those that do wake up.


The dorms are either 4-bedders or 6-bedders. A 7-person might be split up 3-4 or 6-1... but for girls, it's more likely 3-4 because they don't have a bed shortage like the boys.